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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · nail · season · lie · bass · hand · face · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. season — of the year
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. face — to confront
  6. bass — the fish
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. face — part of the head
  9. hand — in cards
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lie — to recline
  13. hand — help
  14. season — in sport
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. face — to point toward
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com